Shoe-box



No. 6l8,707. Patentd Ian. 3|, I899.

T. n. MEBCEIN & E. a. PORTER.

SHOE BOX.

NlTE STATES rricn.

aren't SHOE-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,707, dated January 31, 1899. Application filed February 8, 1898. Serial No. 669,608. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS R. MERCEIN and EDWARD R. PORTER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of VVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe Boxes; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to receptacles which are especially designed to hold shoes, slippers, rubbers, and other articles and which constitute when closed convenient seats; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully set forth hereinafter and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of our device opened to the fullest extent. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same with the lower compartment closed and partially broken away to better illustrate certain details of construction. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A A A A represent the main frameof our device, comprising the back, bottom, and end pieces, all rigidly secured together.

B is the top or cover, held to the back by hinges a a and chains or straps b b. WVhen chains or cords are employed, the top Bis preferably so hinged that its upper'edge when fully open slightly overhangs its lower edge, so that it may stay open, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, though trunk-stays may be employed, if desired, in place of chains or cords.

O D constitute a false top, the part 0 being horizontal and extending over the end pieces, which are recessed, as shown at c, to receive the ends of the part 0, so that said part may be more firmly supported and be flush on its upper surface with the upper edge of said end pieces. The part D inclines inward and downward, as shown, so as to utilize space, and is preferably fitted with partitions d d to subdivide the space above the part D within the main frame or case. At the center the under side of the part 0 is formed with an inclined groove 6 to admit the passage of a strip f, secured to the free edge of the rear or inner part 9 of the lower compartment E. The front of this groove is covered by a strip it, let in flush with the front edge of the part C, so that when the said lower compartment E is opened the strip f will come against the strip h, and thereby limit the outward movement of the compartment E and keep its front or outer portion '6 above the floor and free from contact therewith. The said compartmentE consists, in addition to the partsg and "i,of the end pieces jj, with segmental upper edges, so as to move back just beneath the false top 0 D, and two series of transverse partitions 7t 7t and m m, separated by longitudinal partitions n 0 19, forming shoe-pockets between them, while the longitudinal partitions 0 13 have flanged extensions q q and are designed to hold umbrellas, canes, and similar articles of greater length than the shoes, the flanged extensions q q keeping such longer articles in place when the compartment E is moved in orout. The said lower compartment E is held in place within the main frame or case by pivot-hinges r r. Each hinge consists of two plates, one of said plates having a projecting pin and the other having a socket or hole therein for the reception of said pin. One of the pinplates is secured to each end edge of the part g, adjacent to its junction to the part 1 of said compartment, and one of the socket-plates is secured to the inner surface of each of the end pieces A A of the main frame or case. Thus these hinges are entirely out of sight, and when the lower compartment is being closed as soon as it gets past the center of gravity it will close and remain closed without need of any fastening. Any suitable pull or hand1e-such as the knob s, for example can be attached to the outer piece 71 of the compartment E, and the end pieces of the main frame or case may have handles upon them, if desired, while, as we have shownin Fig. 2, the device may be also supplied with casters, if preferred.

Our device forms a very convenient receptacle for shoes and the like, and brushes and material for cleaning or polishing the shoes may be kept in the compartments above the part D of the false top, while the part O thereof forms a convenient foot-rest for cleaning or polishing shoes or for lacing or buttoning them.

The exterior of the device may be made attractive by staining, oiling, painting, or upholstering the same, according to taste, and the whole forms a very useful and complete article for the purposes for which it is designed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A receptacle for shoes or other articles, comprising an outer frame or case having back, bottom and end pieces rigidly secured together, a false top having a rearward and downward inclined portion, and formed with an inclined groove at the center of the under side of the front portion thereof, a strip covering the front end of said groove, a hinged cover, and a segment-shaped lower compartment, divided by suitable partitions, and pivotally attached Within the outer frame or case, and adapted to move outward and inward and when closed to fill up the space beneath the inclined false top, together with a strip projecting beyond the inner line of the free edge of the rear or inner part of said lower eoinpartmentin line with said inclined groove in the false top for engagement with the strip covering the front end of said groove, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of \Visconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS R. MERCEIN. EDWVARD R. PORTER.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, B. C. ROLOFF. 

